# What to Order at Raku

_Published 2026-07-15 on DinnerElite (https://dinnerelite.com/blog/what-to-order-at-raku)._

Raku East Village is the second location of the SoHo udon house, and the order is a bowl of house-made udon plus a couple of small plates, with the cold yamakake leading in summer.

## What should you order at Raku?

Start with a cold bowl and build around it. [The Infatuation's review](https://www.theinfatuation.com/new-york/reviews/raku-east-village) scored the East Village location a 7.7 and frames it as one of the neighborhood's best casual meals: share udon, then add small plates like the lemony chicken tatsuta-age and the spicy cucumber salad.

1. **Yamakake cold udon**. Grated mountain yam, quail egg, and bonito flakes over chilled noodles, $18 on the menu we pulled in mid-July 2026. The Infatuation calls it the refreshing hot-weather order, and the slippery yam against the chewy udon is the house signature texture.

2. **Kani maze**. The menu's most distinctive cold bowl: crab roe, butter, cucumber, yuzu, and toasted seaweed at $26. Order it when you want the udon to feel like a splurge without the wagyu price.

3. **Chicken tatsuta-age**. The Infatuation's small-plate pick, fried chicken brightened with lemon. Pair it with the spicy cucumber salad from the same review and you have the standard table setup. If low-key Asian rooms with simple ordering are your lane, the [Kisa guide](/blog/what-to-order-at-kisa) covers the Korean set-meal cousin on the Lower East Side.

4. **Wagyu udon**. The $48 ceiling of the hot list: A5 Miyazaki beef with tokyo negi in broth. One bowl for the table converts a cheap noodle dinner into an event.

5. **Sabazushi and ankimo to start**. Pressed mackerel sushi at $20 and monkfish liver with ponzu at $12 read like izakaya deep cuts, and they are the menu's best argument for arriving hungry. Finish with the green tea tiramisu at $12.

## What should you skip at Raku?

Nothing here will hurt you, but know that the lineup rotates. We didn't find The Infatuation's hot-bowl pick, the miso tantan, on the [East Village menu](https://www.rakunyc.com/pages/menu-east-village) we pulled in mid-July 2026, when the hot list ran from the $15 kitsune to the wagyu. If you came for a specific bowl, check the current menu on the restaurant's site before you commit the trip, and remember the cash math: cold bowls run $15 to $26, so a table of two eats well under $80 unless the wagyu joins.

## How do you get into Raku East Village?

Raku East Village books on SevenRooms, and the restaurant's own site states reservations open two weeks in advance (we checked in mid-July 2026). Among the 224 hard-to-book NYC restaurants DinnerElite tracks, only a handful book on SevenRooms: nearly everything else lives on Resy or OpenTable. The good news is that this is a winnable table. The Infatuation describes it as a place to eat without waiting too long, so book on SevenRooms for certainty or walk in at off-peak hours. If reservation jargon like booking windows is new to you, the [NYC reservation terms glossary](/blog/nyc-reservation-terms-glossary) covers it. One rule matters more than the reservation: the review flags Raku as cash only, so hit the ATM first.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Raku cash only?

Yes, per The Infatuation's review: bring cash. Plan for roughly $30 to $50 a head depending on how many small plates join the udon, and more if the wagyu bowl is involved.

### What is the difference between Raku SoHo and Raku East Village?

SoHo is the original and the East Village room is the second location, per The Infatuation, which rates the East Village outpost a 7.7 and notes it draws lighter waits than the original. Same udon-first menu concept at both.

### Does Raku take reservations?

Yes, through SevenRooms rather than Resy, and walk-ins work at off-peak hours. The room suits low-key dates and solo bowls more than big groups.

Getting in is the easier half of the plan here, but tables still vanish on busy nights. DinnerElite tracks when Raku East Village releases reservations and how far ahead it books, and it emails you the moment a cancellation opens up. Start from [DinnerElite's Raku East Village page](/reservations/79815).